The Lenoir-Rhyne Women’s basketball team fell to Carson-Newman, 80-77, on the road despite a season-high 29 points from Emily Harman. Harman added ten rebounds for her first double-double of the season and has now scored 20-plus points in three straight games.

In the first half, after the Eagles opened a 10-2 lead to start the game, the Bears went on an 11-0 run to take their first lead of the game. The teams played the final 6:28 of the first quarter without a whistle being blown as it was tied at 21 after ten minutes.

Back-to-back threes by Jalen Gathers and Megan Landsiedel allowed the Bears to go up 36-32 with 1:21 left. After a three got the Eagles within one, Crooks made a layup at the buzzer to take a 38-35 lead into halftime.

Crooks lead the Bears with 14 points at the half while Campbell Penland had 17 points for the Eagles. The Bears held the SAC’s leading scoring and the 2020-21 SAC player of the year Braelyn Wykle without a field goal in the first half.

LR did not make their first field goal in the second half until the 7:03 mark but the Eagles made just one of their first six shots in the quarter. After an old fashioned three point play by Brandi Hudson tied it at 53, Wykle scored with five seconds left to take a 55-53 lead into the 4th quarter.

Carson-Newman opened the 4th quarter on fire from beyond the arc as the Eagles drilled three pointers on their first three possession of the quarter to open a seven point lead. Wykle’s fourth basket of the second half put the Eagles up 73-66 with 2:27 left. The Bears responded with a layup by Hudson and two free throws by Harman to cut the lead to 73-70 with 38 seconds left.

However, the Eagles drained seven of eight at the free throw line in the final 38 seconds to close out the Bears 80-77. Harman scored 21 points of her season-high 29 points in the second half. Harman hit eight of her 12 shots in the half. The game was balanced as the Eagles lead for 17:59 while the Bears lead for 18:19. There was seven lead changes and ten ties during the contest.

Crooks has reached double digits in eleven straight games as the junior had 14 points tonight. Crooks added five rebounds as well. Landsiedel had 10 points as the junior reached double figures for the first time since December 12 against UNC-Pembroke. Gathers added a dozen points as all three of her field goals came from beyond the arc.

This game was originally scheduled for January 21 but was postponed due to lack of officials. C-N has won eight straight games against the Bears with this victory.

The double-double for Harman was her sixth career double-double. Azariah Fields missed her first game of the season with injury as Fields is one of just three players in the SAC with at least 100 rebounds and 100 assists this season.

Crooks now has 99 career assists.

The Bears will need to win on Saturday and Wingate to drop both of their games this week to host a SAC tournament game next week. If not, the Bears will travel to Tusculum or back to C-N in the SAC Quarterfinals.

The Bears are 21-6 overall, 11-6 in the South Atlantic Conference. L-R will conclude the SAC regular season with a trip to UVA-Wise on Saturday. Tip-Off from Wise, Virginia is schedule for 2:00 PM.